What the World Carries (Prequel)
by marvel365 version 2
Summary: This is a prequel to Family is a Strange Thing, by me under a different user (marvelslife365) I also have a sequel to that story as well. I will upload the entire story at once, the prequel is only one chapter.


**This is the Prequel to Family is a Strange Thing by marverlislife365, and it's sequel by me marverl365 version 2 ( just a new username) Life with Dysfunction**

 **I own none of the following similar content to MCU. I am not Joss Wedon and do not pretend to be. The copy write is all to them.**

 _ **Also this prequel to my other stories should be read first! It makes sense most that way, this paper is very jumpy from Avengers one to the beginning of Family is aa Strange Thing. *This is only one chapter... but it's long.**_

She sat there, tied to a chair looking her interrogators like she knew something they didn't. Which was true as really she was interrogating them. Natasha Romanoff was there on orders of S.H.E.I.L.D to glean information on Russian exports.

"This is not how I wanted the evening to go," said the man who was in charge.

"I know how you wanted it to go, trust me this is better," she replied in Russian confidentially.

"Who are you working for? Lermetov, yes?" the man in charge asked ignoring her pervious comment. One of the henchmen walked up to her and tilted her chair back over a ledge. She tried to reach her foot out to touch the ground but her chair was to far tilted back, "Does he think we have to go though him to move out cargo?"

"I thought General Solohob is in charge of the exports business," Natasha said slightly frightened as her chair was put back down.

"Solohob, is just a bagman, a front. Your outdated information betrays you. It turns out the famous Black Widow is just another pretty face," he told her.

"You really think I'm pretty?" Natasha asked in doubt while raising one of her eyebrows.

"Tell Lermentov we don't need him to move the tanks. Tell him he is out. Well... You may have to write it down." A phone rings. One of the henchmen answered and is startled to here a man telling him to put Natasha on the phone. "It's for her," he tells his employer. He hands over the phone. The man in charge is told to put Natasha on the phone or the person on the phone will blow up the building before he could make the lobby. To save his skin he shoves the phone between Natasha's shoulder an ear.

"We need you to come in," stated Coulson.

"Are you kidding? I am working. These morons are giving me everything,"

"I don't give everything," the man in charge muttered. Natasha looked up at him and raised her eyebrow.

"Natasha, Barton's be compromised," she sucked in a quick breath and looked at her stomach. _I can't make the decision myself, it's his child to._ She thought to herself.

"Lemme put you on hold."

...

She picked up the phone and her shoes from the ground.

"Wheres Barton now?" she asked.

"We don't know," Coulson replied.

"But he's alive?" she asked slightly pleading.

"Yes," he answered and she let the breath she was holding in go. "But first we need you to talk to the Big Guy" he stated.

"Coulson, you know Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me,"

"No, I need you to get the Big Guy"

...

She sat in a hut in Calcutta waiting for Bruce Banner.

"Huh, shoulda got payed up front Banner," he said to himself as the little girl jumped out the window. Natasha stood up and came out of the shadows.

"You know for a man trying to avoid stress you pick a hell of a place to settle," she said while hugging her red scarf draped around shoulders so it would hang protectively over her stomach.

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret," he said while turning around and dropping his bag on the floor.

"Then what is?" she asked. "Yoga?"

"You brought me to the edge of the city," he said while turning around to examining his surroundings. "Smart, and I am assuming the whole place is surrounded,"

"Just you and me," she said as she approached him taking her scarf off to put on a chair.

"And your little actress buddy, is she a spy to? Do they start that young?" he asked.

"I did," she answered. Her eyes briefly darkened at the thought of her past.

"And who are you?" he asked gestating towards her.

"Natasha Romanoff," she answered. Bruce took a deep breath.

"Are you here to kill me Ms. Romanoff? Because that's not going to work for everybody," he said while clasping his and and slightly smiling.

"No, no, of course not. I am here on behalf of Shield," she told him while taking a few steps closer to him.

"Shield," he stated to confirm what she had said. She looked at him curiously when they made eye contact. "How did they find me?" he asked while breaking eye contact.

"We never lost you doctor. Kept our distance. Even helped lead a few interested parties off your scent," she said slightly annoyed.

"Why?" he asked.

"Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now we need you to come in,"

"What if I say no?" he asked while making eye contact again with her.

"I'll persuade you," she answered confidentially with a small crooked smile.

"And what if the other guy says no," he said while looking at his hands.

"It's been over a year since an incident, and I don't think you wanna break that streak," she stated while turning around to retrieve her phone.

"Well, I don't every time get what I want," he told her while rocking a baby cradle. Natasha looked at him and her eyes softened. _I don't deserve or want a family but I get one and this man in front of me deserves and wants one but doesn't get one. Why is this world so terribly messed up?_ She asked herself. Bruce noticed the change of mood in the room but brushed the thoughts swirling in his head away for a moment. Natasha looked at her phone and began trying to pull up an image.

"Doctor, we're facing a potential global catastrophe."

"Oh, well those I actively try to avoid," he stated while slightly laughing to himself.

"This is the tessaract," she said while sliding over her phone with the image on it as she sat down. "It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet,"

"What does Fury want me to do?" he asked her while picking up the phone. "Swallow it?"

"He wants you to find it," she said while leaning forward, "It was taken, and it emits a gamma radiation that is too weak for us to read. And no one knows gamma radiation better than you," she told him while leaning back and putting a protective arm on her stomach. "If they did that's where I'd be,"

"So Fury is not after the monster?" Bruce asked slightly in doubt.

"Not that he has told me," she said.

"And Fury tells you everything," he stated. The tension in the room grew stronger.

"Talk to Fury he needs you on this," she told him while leaning forward again.

"He needs me in a cage?"

"No one is going to put you in a cage," she answered.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he yelled while slapping the table. Freighted Natasha pulled a gun out and pointed it at his head. He calmed down and stood up straight with a guilty smile. "I am sorry, that was mean I just wanted to see what you would do,"Natasha's eyes were wide and she still held the gun up. "Why don't we do this the easy way?" he asked "Where you don't use that," he gestured to the gun. "And the other guy doesn't make a mess?" he questioned her while pointing towards himself. "Okay? Natasha?" he looked at her pleadingly. She slowly lowered the gun taking in a sharp breath and put a finger to her ear."Stand down," she said to her ear.

"Just you and me huh?" Bruce asked Natasha she looked at him funny then dropped one of her hands to her stomach. "And I have a question for you before I say yes but you might not want your buddies to hear it so I would turn your comm off," she reached in her ear and pulled out the small device to turn it off.

"Alright Doc, it's off now what's your question?" he took a step closer and she took one back.

"Are you pregnant Ms. Romanoff?" she looked at him startled. _How could he tell?!_ She thought worriedly _._

"How did you know?" she asked in a scared hushed voice.

"I just could tell by the way you were acting,"

"What do you mean by that?" she questioned him.

"Well when you leaned back before I scared you, you had your arm on your stomach, and when you first met me you shielded your stomach with that scarf. And you just dropped one of your hands to your stomach," she looked at him shocked.

"No one can know," she whispered. He gave her a knowing smile.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," he said. "And I'll help you in any way I can. If you let me, I promise," Natasha's eyes grew a little watery.

"Thank you,"she said. He gave her another smile.

"And to help you I have to come with you to shield,"

"Yes you will" she answered curtly.

…

Natasha walked over to where Coulson and Captain America were. She smiled at Coulson knowing he was over the moon to meet Captain America.

"Agent Romanoff," Coulson said tilting his head up to acknowledge her. "This is Captain Rodgers"

"Ma'am," Rodgers said politely.

"Hi," she skeptically said. "They need you on the bridge, they are starting the phase trace," she told Coulson.

"See you there," he replied as he walked away. Natasha took a long hard look at Rodgers then began walking.

"It was quite the buzz around here finding you in the ice," she told him. "Thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" she asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Trading cards?" Rodgers asked in disbelief.

"There vintage," she said. "He is very proud,"

"Doctor Banner," Rodgers called to Bruce. Who was right in front of him.

"Oh, yeah, hi," he stuttered. "They told me you were coming,"

"Word is you can find the cube," stated Rodgers.

"Is that the only word on me," Bruce asked while looking side to side.

"Only one I care about," he replied. Bruce nodded.

"So all this must be strange for you," Bruce stated switching the topic.

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar," he answered while looking at his surroundings.

"Gentlemen," Natasha interrupted. "You may want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard for you to breathe," they looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Is this a submarine?" Asked Captain America.

"Really, they want me in a submerged pressurized container?" Bruce asked in disbelief. Natasha watched them look over the edge as she had so many times. "No, no this is much worse," Bruce commented as the helicarrier began to take flight. Immediately he thought of Natasha and her child and wondered if flying was safe. He made eye contact with her and looked at her stomach. She gave a nod telling him it was okay and began to walk to the entrance of the inside of the ship. When Natasha was inside and in the main room of the helicarrier she looked back at the men behind her and gave a look as if to say _What do you think?_

 _…_

Natasha squatted down to look at a computer that was giving information on Clint. She was listening to the conversations behind her and interrupted to say, "That is still not going to find him in time," she nervously played with her fingers as Bruce looked at her. So that must be her child's father. Bruce thought to himself before he continued talking. Natasha continue looking at the screen until Fury asked her to show Bruce his lab.

"Yeh gonna love it doc, you got all the fun toys," she told him as she began walking down the hall to his lab. When they were out of reach of everybody's ears he grabbed her arm and leaned in close.

"That was the father wasn't it. The man on the screen," he whispered. She gave a small nod and tried to continue walking. "I'll try as hard as I can, that child deserves a father," he told her. She looked at him and gave a small thank you. He let go of her arm and they continued walking to the lab.

...

Natasha walked into the room where Loki's cell was.

"There is not many people that can sneak up on me," Loki said while turning around.

"But you figured I come," she replied with a grim smile

"After, after whatever tortures fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, a bomb, and I would cooperate," he said with a large smile on his face.

"I wanna know what you have done to agent Barton."

"I simply have expanded his mind," Loki answered

"And once you've won, once your king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" She asked while crossing her arms.

"Oh, is this love Romanoff?" Loki asked clearly enjoying this.

"Love is for children." She told him, " I owe him a debt," Loki took a step back.

"Tell me," he said. Natasha took a deep breath and contemplated if she wanted to tell him. She decided to tell him an altered version of her past.

"Before I worked for sheild, I, I, uh, well, made a name for myself," she told him while sitting down. She sat at the end of the seat as if to be ready for an attack. "I have a very specific skills set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on shields radar in a bad way," she pursed her lips "Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call," she look past Loki as if she was in her own world. Like she still couldn't believe what had happened. Loki nodded his head.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" He asked.

"Not let you out," she said while making eye contact with him.

"Oh, but I like this, your world in the balance and you bargain for one man,"

"Regimes fall everyday, I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian, or I was,"she said with a slight smile.

"Then what are you?" He asked

"It's really not that complicated, I got red in my ledger I'd like to wipe it out," she told him while standing up.

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red?" He asked sincerely, "Drakeoff's daughter, Saul Paul Lou, The Hospital Fire, Barton told me everything," Natasha was shocked Barton had told Loki those secrets, but he had apparently told him nothing about there marriage she was glad he kept that secret. "Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man who is no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basis sentimentality, this is a child, a prayer. pathetic. You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, somehing to make up for the horrors. But they are a part of you. And they will never go away," Loki smashed a fist against the glass of his cage startling Natasha. "I won't touch Barton, until I have him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake long enough to see his good work and when he screams I'll split his skull! This is my bargain you mewling quim!" Natasha turned around and began to take deep shuddering breaths.

"Your a monster," she spat out

"No, no, you brought the monster," Natasha lifted her head and turned around.

"So, Banner, that's your play?"

"What?" Asked Loki in a shocked voice. Natasha lifted her hand to her ear.

"Loki, means to unleash the hulk. Keep banner in the lab. I am on my way, send Thor as well," Loki watched her with curiosity. "Thank you, for your cooperation," Natasha said as she turned and walked away.

...

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha as she walked into the room.

"Do you wanna think about removing yourself from this environment doctor?" Natasha asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I was in Calcutta I was pretty well removed,"

"Loki is manipulating you," she responded.

"And you have been doing what exactly?" he asked.

"You didn't come here because I batted my eyelashes at you," she stated while taking a step closer to him.

"You know why I came," he said while quickly nodding his head at her stomach," And I am not going to leave because suddenly you get a little twitchy," he moved over to a screen and pointed at it, "I want to know why shield is using the tessaract to build weapons of mass destruction,"

"Because of him," Nick Fury said while pointing a Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked confused.

"Last year Earth had a Visitor from another plant, who had a grudge match that leveled a small town, we learned that we are not only alone. That we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned," Fury explained.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," stated Thor.

"But your not the only ones out there, or the only threat are you? The world is filling up with people that can't be matched, they can't be controlled," Fury stated.

"Like you controlled the cube?" interrupted Captain America.

"Your work with the tessaract is what drew Loki to it. And his allies, it is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war" Thor stated.

"A higher form?" Captain America asked.

"You forced our hand, we had to come up with something," replied Fury.

"A nuclear deterrent? Because that always calms things right down," Tony Stark interrupted.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune Stark," Fury said sarcastically.

"I am sure if Stark still made weapons he would be neck deep.." started Captain America.

"How is this now about me?" Tony asked.

"Oh, I am sorry isn't everything?" Captain America asked him

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," said Thor.

"Excuse me, do we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury asked Thor.

"You treat your champions with mistrust," Thor stated.

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha asked, "Shield monitors potential threats."

"Captain America is on the threat list?" Bruce asked her

"We all are," she replied. All of them began to argue making Loki's scepters orb glow brighter.

"You speak of control yet you cause chaos," said Thor.

"We're amu aren't we? What are we a team? Nao,nanananao, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb,"

"You need to step away," Fury told Bruce.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked as he put his arm on Captain America's." shoulder.

"You know darn well why! Back off," Captain America said while swatting Tonys arm off his shoulder.

"I am starting to want you to make me," Tony said.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony answered. Natasha raised an eyebrow and cocked her head at his statement. As if to say she was Agreeing with him that his statement was on the dot.

"I know guys with not of that worth ten of you," Captain America spat out. "And I've seen the footage the only thing you really fight for is yourself. Your not the guy to make the sacrifice play. The one to lay down over a wire and let the other guy crawl over you,"

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony said

"Always a way out. You know you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero," Captain America told Tony.

"A hero?" Tony nodded his head, "Like you? Your nothing more than laboratory experiment Rodgers. Everything special about you came from a bottle," Tony spat.

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds," Captain said while taking a step closer to Tony.

"You people are so petty, and tiny," Thor interrupted.

"Yeah we really are a team," Bruce said sarcastically.

"Agent Romanoff can you escort Doctor Banner back to..."

"Where? You rented my room," Bruce stated.

"The cell was just in case..." started Fury

"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't I know I've tried," Natasha's eyes grew soft, "I got lone, didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth. And the other guy spit it out. So I moved on started helping people," he looked at Natasha while saying that, and Fury noticed. But he just kept listening putting it in his mental notes for later,"I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show, and put everyone at risk. You wanna know my secret Agent Romanoff? How I stay calm?" Natasha looked at him frightened and put her hand on her gun.

"Doctor Banner!" Captain America called, "Put down the scepter," Bruce looked at his hands and realized he had picked up Loki's scepter. He set it back on the table.

A ringing sound signaled that the tessaract had been found.

"Sorry kids, guess you don't get to see my trick after all," he said as he walked towards the screen that was ringing. Natasha began to relax as the tension in the room briefly went away. But it came back quickly and she tensed up again just as she heard Bruce say Oh my God.

The floor exploded out from underneath them. Sending Natasha flying to the below level with Bruce. She curled into a ball as she fell to try and protect herself and her child. Natasha grunted when she hit bottom and almost cried out in pain when a large pipe fell on her ankle. She looked around to see that she was across from Bruce and began attempting to dislodge her leg from the pipe. Bruce began groaning and grunting in pain and when Natasha looked at him she could tell he was fighting off the Hulk. She had never be more scared, but she would have a lot of those experiences soon.

Phil's casket was closed. She was glad for that, she didn't quite fancy seeing his lifeless body. And she knew if Clint did he would break into a million pieces. Her husband was already hanging on the hinges of shattering. Blaming himself for his closest friends death. Natasha leaned into Clint and mumbled that it wasn't his fault. He took her hand and smiled wistfully then presumed to stare into space. The ceremony was rather private and it was a bit unordinary Because no one spoke but the priest. No eulogies nothing just time to talk amongst the others who had lost Phil Coulson. When the time came for socializing she walked over to May who was stroking the casket edge softly. A girl was next to her but Natasha paid no attention to the girl and began talking to May.

"Where is he going to be buried?" she asked May curiously. May was Coulson's partner and would know where he would be laid to rest.

"Next to the two Geiss's. And Fury's and your guys pre graves," Natasha's lip quirked a bit at the final statement. She totally forgot about the girl next to May. Had she been paying attention she would have noticed the girl reacted to the name Geiss very solemnly. Natasha would have put it in her information for later. And later she would want it indeed but she didn't watch the girl so missed the key information,"He would have loved to be his or her GodFather," she stated inclining her head at Natasha. She was a little shocked the Asian woman knew her secret but nodded.

"Yes he would have," Clint said approaching them. His eyes landed on the girl but he dismissed her and began telling Natasha they had to go in a whisper. It really was of no use though as both May and the girl could hear them. Natasha bid them farewell as she and Clint went to a sports car and drove away.

"There life is so twisted up May. They get a family and lose one part of it," the girl sated walking up to the coffin and dusting her fingers on it.

"Everyone involved in Shield has a twisted life my dear girl," May answered tucking a strand of hair behind the girls ear. The girl was gently crying. Fury walked over and nodded to May in a inquisitive gesture. May shook her head the girl noticed.

"What aren't you telling me?" The girl asked worried.

"I have to leave you," May responded monotonously.

"What? Your going to leave me up and dry? Let me lose another set of parents! You promised!" The girl became hysterical and Fury wrapped her in a tight embrace. May disappeared without a word. The girl sobbed into Fury's jacket while her stroked her blond hair in a comforting way.

"You are going to come live back at base. Maria and I are going to watch over you. Along with Mbow. Fitzsimmons are in a new unit. Those classes will be replaced by Pierces choices," he finished in an upset tone. She clawed her nails into him.

"Does that guy ever give me a break?" she mumbled in Russian. Fury shook his head and broke away from her grabbing her hand tentatively and pulling her with him to a black Suburban.

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